Orthopedic Trauma Services at the Red Duke Trauma Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center are available to the community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing the highest quality of treatment and clinical excellence for the full spectrum of orthopedic trauma.
This is achieved through an affiliation with McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) that underscores a commitment to patient care, the education of future orthopedic surgeons and orthopedic traumatologists, and a commitment to research that meets the highest standards.
Memorial Hermann-TMC is the only hospital in Houston/Harris County that provides continuous call coverage by fellowship-trained affiliated orthopedic traumatologists. In conjunction with Memorial Hermann Life Flight®, the only hospital-based air ambulance serving Houston and the surrounding communities, affiliated trauma surgeons are well positioned to offer the highest level of orthopedic trauma care in Houston and the surrounding areas.
The multidisciplinary team of affiliated orthopedic trauma surgeons is supported by physician assistants, residents and fellows.
More than half of the patients admitted to most trauma centers have musculoskeletal injuries that include fractures and dislocations, and nerve, tendon and soft tissue injuries. In North America, the definitive musculoskeletal care provider is an orthopedic surgeon.
Sub-specialization within orthopedics has led to significant advances in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions of all kinds. The care of serious injuries, and of severely injured patients with (frequently multiple) musculoskeletal injuries has become an orthopedic sub- specialty area.
While orthopedic surgery residency training and board certification offer a general level of knowledge about the evaluation and treatment of skeletal trauma, they do not provide the orthopedic generalist, or sub-specialist in another field, with all of the skills required for the care of the seriously injured.
Fellowship training in orthopedic traumatology prepares an orthopedic surgeon for a career that focuses on the definitive care of serious injuries. The primary site for the McGovern Medical School Orthopedic trauma fellowship is Memorial Hermann-TMC.
In addition to treating acute musculoskeletal injuries, affiliated fellowship-trained orthopedic traumatologists also treat the complications related to these injuries. This includes fractures that do not heal (nonunions) or that heal in the incorrect position (malunions), infections, stiffness and instability.
Blake Burns, a rock climbing instructor, found himself in a horrific accident one day and was rushed to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center where physicians performed surgery to correct his severe orthopedic injuries.
The Red Duke Trauma Institute is built on a foundation of a long-term collaboration between Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and UTHealth. Our patients benefit from access to first-class clinicians with extensive training and experience in the complete range of trauma care, who are also faculty at the medical school.